It appears that Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn will rely primarily on a couple of veterans — Von Miller and Jacob Martin — to juice up the pass rush in 2025. But there is another way Adam Peters can inject some youthful exuberance into this unit.
Miller’s bona fides are undeniable, and Martin has had enticing moments in his career. But the fact remains that they are 36 and 29 years old, respectively, and both are signed to one-year deals.
In the sixth round of this year’s draft, Peters passed on several potential hidden gems on the edge to select UCLA linebacker Kain Medrano. He made the roster and figures to be a key backup and special teamer this year, so it is hard to complain too much about that pick. But it did mean the general manager ignored a hole that he could have filled.
He now has a chance to address that failure, and potentially damage a rival at the same time.
Commanders should consider poaching Antwaun Powell-Ryland from the Eagles’ practice squad
When Medrano was chosen, there were three very intriguing edge rushers still on the board. None were can’t-miss blue chippers like Abdul Carter. They wouldn’t have lasted into the sixth round had they not had a red flag or two.
Antwaun Powell-Ryland, chosen a few spots after Medrano, did not end up making his team’s roster. But there is a caveat to consider. He was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles, a team that values offensive and defensive line in the draft more than any other club in the league.
Despite losing players like Josh Sweat and Milton Williams to free agency this year, the Eagles are constantly restocking the line and edge positions via the draft. Powell-Ryland is currently stuck behind recent draft picks like Moro Ojomo and Jalyx Hunt, and Philadelphia would like to stash him on their practice squad until they need him to step into a role.
Peters should spoil those plans.
Powell-Ryland played three years at Florida before blossoming into a pass-rushing force at Virginia Tech. In his final two seasons with the Hokies, he registered 25.5 sacks, the most of any FBS player in that time.
He is 6-foot-3 and 258 pounds. He has relatively short arms. On paper, that doesn’t translate into a top-flight NFL pass rusher. But Powell-Ryland was insanely productive on the field. He used his size to his advantage, shooting gaps between bigger, slower interior linemen on stunts, and demonstrated a very sophisticated and varied series of pass rush moves when coming from the edge.
Whether he can do that against NFL linemen remains to be seen. But on a team that is in real need of pass rushers — especially young ones — it seems like a pretty good gamble.
Javontae Jean-Baptiste is the only young edge player the Commanders currently have. Adding Powell-Ryland to the roster makes sense long-term, and it might pay dividends this season as well.
Washington has some excess space with three quarterbacks and seven linebackers on the current 53. Hurting the Eagles only sweetens the pot.
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